EDITORIAL: Amazon's impact only just starting to be felt

Even though it's been actively fulfilling orders for more than six months, Amazon's grand opening celebration this past week was worth the wait.

And it's impact on this community is only just beginning to be felt.

The 1-million-square-foot sort center, covering more than 25 football fields off Joe B. Jackson Parkway, is not only impressive in its scope - it's packed with row upon row of everything from electronics to one-serving coffee cups - but in its reach and in its potential.

The facility received its first merchandise Sept. 19 and one week later made initial shipments to customers. Since then, shipments have left the location daily, and full-time employees have grown from 400 to 1,100, keeping products moving 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

"This (center in Murfreesboro) was one of our highest performing start-ups," commented Amazon Vice President Mike Roth at the grand opening this past Friday.

The Murfreesboro location is one of some 40 Amazon fulfillment centers, including three others in Tennessee .

Employees work four 10-hour shifts a week, and the jobs pay a median of $16.50 an hour.

Roth credited the "dynamic business and government leaders of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County" in working with his company to establish the distribution center.

The Rutherford County Industrial Development Board approved a 20-year $15.8 million property tax break in exchange for Amazon creating a minimum of 1,150 jobs with an average pay of $16.25 per hour, according to IDB records. The $87.5 million capital investment and 20-year operation is expected to produce $47.6 million in local tax revenues.

The online retailer will soon begin collecting state sales taxes from consumers on every order, meaning the state, Rutherford County and its municipalities will be seeing an increase in tax revenue. That alone should be worth the price of doing business with the corporate giant.

Hopes by small retailers that such tax collections will level the playing field are probably slim, as consumers are likely to still flock to the Internet giant's website for its sheer selection of merchandise.

Jobs and taxes aside, Amazon will likely impact the county in yet another way. Mayor Tommy Bragg noted that Amazon is already being a good corporate citizen, providing 40 Kindle book readers and $2,500 in gift cards to city schools.

We're confident that Amazon will follow the lead of many other corporations in town with donations to charities and programs that make a difference throughout Rutherford County.

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EDITORIAL: Amazon's impact only just starting to be felt

Even though it's been actively fulfilling orders for more than six months, Amazon's grand opening celebration this past week was worth the wait.